The opening of Neal Bell's "Two Small Bodies" at
the Matrix Tuesday is yet another example of how far the theater's
management will go to do right by a play. Producer Joe Stern first got
wind of it at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference in 1977, then heard
of a subsequent production at Playwrights Horizon, "and finally got to
see it on its feet at an outfit called the Production Company in New
York.
"Its something I've wanted to do for a long time,
and even turned down a couple of two-character plays, such as These
Men,' in order to do it," said Stern. "I had Michael McGuire in mind
for the male role, but it wasn't until I saw Judith Ivey in the New
York production that I knew we (meaning Actors for Themselves) had the
right actress. Before that, I held onto the play for 16 months. That's
how much I think of McGuire."
The upshot of it is that both Ivey and director
Norman Rene, who runs the Production Company, are coming out to do it
again. That may not be news on the commercial circuit, but it is a
tribute to the drawing power of Equity Waiver for artists.
"I really only came out to do this play," said
Rene, "not to put out feelers into television and the movies. New York
is slow this time of year, and I wanted to stick with a play I think
is unique in its insights and emotional impact.
"The play is loosely based on the Alice Crimmins
murder case, in which a cocktail hostess murdered her two children.
Ivey plays the hostess and McGuire plays a detective who's
investigating the case and strikes up a personal relationship with
her. To me, the play says an awful lot about the prejudices between
sexes and classes, the old baggage one brings into new relationships,
and the lure between a mother-hooker figure and a policeman who's
reconceived in her mind as a father figure. I think in terms of
language and texture, and in the way it deals with the complications
between men and women, that it's a fascinating work."
Rene is also the person who conceived and directed
"Marry Me a Little," which brought to light songs that were dropped
for one reason or another from Stephen Sondheim musicals. A production
is still running in London (it played last year in New York). Maybe
Stern could coax Rene into doing it here.
